Author: Andrew Thaler

Marine science and conservation. Deep-sea ecology. Population genetics. Underwater robots. Open-source instrumentation. The deep sea is Earth's last great wilderness.

Diving the deepest hydrothermal vent field in the world – experience it live!

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 4 Comments on Diving the deepest hydrothermal vent field in the world – experience it live!
Science

The Okeanos Explorer is diving on the Cayman Rise – the location of the deepest known hydrothermal vent field, and they are broadcasting the ROV feed live, right now. You can be experiencing this: …right now. Go here: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/media/exstream/exstream.html

Post of Note from Around the Gam: August 5, 2011

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Uncategorized

It’s a short posts of note this week, as everyone seems to be taking a break, out in the field, or just celebrating the high holidays. Over at Arthropoda, Mike has been posting some awesome pictures from his field work, including an advanced microscope repair kit that puts my leatherman and ball peen hammer to … Read More “Post of Note from Around the Gam: August 5, 2011” »

Shark Experts and Shark Celebrities are being Auctioned during Shark Week

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 3 Comments on Shark Experts and Shark Celebrities are being Auctioned during Shark Week
Science

Including our very own David Shiffman (aka WhySharksMatter)!

You’ve seen them on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, Animal Planet, Nat Geo and the BBC − they are the top shark experts in the world! Now meet them in person for lunch or dinner, learn why they love sharks, and why sharks need protection!

More than 50 of the world’s top shark experts are allowing themselves to be auctioned to raise funds for the Shark Research Institute’s conservation programs. Up for auction are dinners (or lunches) with the world’s foremost shark experts. Each winning bidder has the unique opportunity to “talk shark” face- to-face, one-on-one, with a real authority on sharks.

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Crude Rage – A Sea in Flames reviewed

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on Crude Rage – A Sea in Flames reviewed
Popular Culture

In the year since the Deepwater Horizon sunk, killing 11 people and pumping untold millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, much has been revealed about the causes and effects of this disaster: the chain of events leading up to the explosion, the response (or lack of response) from BP and the US government, the impact of sealife and coastal fisheries. In his most recent book, A Sea in Flames, Carl Safina lays out the timeline of the disaster, the factors the lead to such an egregious lapse in safety, the role that several corporate and government entities played, and the anger. Above all else, this book is about the rage one man feels about a situation that is almost impossible to comprehend.

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A primer for climate change

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 69 Comments on A primer for climate change
Conservation, Science

Sea level rise. Desertification. Ocean acidification. Climategate. Permafrost. Greenland ice sheet. Hockey stick. The language of global climate change can be overwhelming. Every year, as we learn more about the ways that human activity fundamentally alter global processes, the subject becomes even broader and more complicated. Fortunately, world renowned oceanographer Orrin Pilkey and his son, Keith Pilkey, have produced a comprehensive and readable primer on global climate change. The strength of Global Climate Change: A Primer can be broken into three sections – the content, the conflict, and the illustrations.

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Six question for PCS Phosphate regrading the proposed sulfur melting facility at the Morehead City Port

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 2 Comments on Six question for PCS Phosphate regrading the proposed sulfur melting facility at the Morehead City Port
Conservation

For background, please see our original post – Secrets and Sulfur at the Morehead City Port. Over the last two days, I’ve dug through the PCS Phosphate Environmental Assessment, checked out some of the press reports, and talked to an insider from their Aurora facility. After pouring through what little data is available, I have six concerns that I would like to see addressed before this project is approved.

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Secrets and Sulfur at the Morehead City Port

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 9 Comments on Secrets and Sulfur at the Morehead City Port
Conservation
Proposed site. Wetlands indicated in purple. From the PCS Phosphate EA.

The news caught us by surprise. PCS Phospate, a division of Potash Corp. and one of the largest suppliers of fertilizer in the world is planing to build a Sulfur processing plant in Morehead City. Seemingly overnight, it had grown from a few rumors to an announcement that the final permitting and funding process was already underway. Initial planning began almost a year ago, and an environmental assessment was produce in in December 2010, but at no point during this year of closed door meetings was there ever a public review. The first official notice occurred when an adjacent landowner was informed of the expansion.

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